VIDEO
Hazardous kerosene lamps, still used in many developing countries, are a major expense for many of the world’s estimated 1.5 billion families without electricity. Poor households typically spend at least 10 percent of their income on kerosene, as much as $36 billion a year worldwide, according to the World Bank . So far, efforts to use solar energy, hydroelectric microgrids, or repurpose old car batteries have also been problematic, says Joe Hale, president of the nonprofit Global BrightLight Foundation .
Gravity could help. British industrial designer Martin Riddiford has created a pineapple-size lamp called the GravityLight – powered by a 25-pound weight that falls about six feet in a half-hour. It shines slightly brighter than most kerosene lamps, and continuous use only requires manually lifting the weight back to the top to repeat the process every 30 minutes during which light is needed.
(Bonus: This means that one day there’ll be no more yelling at relatives about leaving lights on and running up the bill in homes using this innovation.)
– @ojones1
GravityLight will have its first field tests this summer in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. Once Riddiford’s team works out the final kinks, the basic model will retail for about $5.
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April 2, 2013
Posted in Human Interest, Technology, Videos | 
Tags: businessweek, gravity, innovator, lamp, martin, powered, riddiford
